1990s Gianni Versace Playing Card Print Silk Shirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 27 in (68.58 cm)Bust: 42 in (106.68 cm)Waist: 38 in (96.52 cm)Hip: 40 in (101.6 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU228211546522
Gianni Versace
The signature extravagance of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace — forever aligned with glamour, sex, celebrity and spectacle — can overshadow the Italian couturier’s broad and deep engagement with history and culture. Today, his vintage dresses and gowns, handbags, sunglasses and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration, and his subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” he once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
Gianni Versace was born in Calabria, Italy. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, little Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that were at the foundation of his creative expression.
In 1972, at age 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection — and his label — in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, sister Donatella, whom Gianni dressed and took to discos when she was still a child, joined the family venture, where she had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus.
Vintage Versace — and Gianni Versace Couture, which debuted in 1989 — has become catnip for modern fashion enthusiasts who seek out the now-iconic house codes that originated in the designs of the 1980s and 1990s. His glamorous and seductive apparel — the clingy skirts and slender, strappy party dresses, as well as the erotic magazine ads that publicized them — looms large, but Versace’s art and historical influences were also vast.
Versace was an art collector, and he took on commissions to create costumes for theatrical performances during the 1980s and spoke of looking to numerous cultures for inspiration. The New York Times noted in 1997 that the fashion industry “is now driven by contemporary culture because Mr. Versace made it that way.”
Insiders consider his 1991/1992 Autumn/Winter runway show — which featured supermodels Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista lip-synching George Michael’s “Freedom” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace's adventurous spirit of design resulted in his creating jewel-toned prints rooted in Grecian motifs, Etruscan symbols, the Italian Baroque and Andy Warholʼs Marilyn Monroe. There were slinky dresses in Oroton, his patented chain-mail textile that draped like satin, and leather bondage ensembles. Sex sold, for both women and men. Wrote the late curator Richard Martin, “[Versace] became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.”
Following Versace’s tragic murder in 1997, Donatella took over the role of artistic director and continued to evolve the house codes with a twist of her feminine and feminist perspective. Today, Santo Versace is chief executive officer of Versace and Donatella is its chief creative officer.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Gianni Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Toronto, Canada
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1990s Giorgio Armani Black and Grey Velvet Paisley BlouseBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in Toronto, OntarioBeautiful and bohemian 1990s Giorgio Armani blouse. Black, grey and blue velvet paisley all over. Loose trumpet shaped sleeves and a-line bodice create ...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- 1970s Ungaro Red Sequin TopBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Toronto, OntarioEmanuel Ungaro 1970s red sequin top with black ribbing at the cuffs and hem. The fit is blouson, almost sweatshirt style, with a black stain trimmed yoke ...Category
1970s Italian Balloon Sleeve Blouses
- 1980's Yves Saint Laurent YSL Leopard Print Silk TankBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980's Yves Saint Laurent leopard print silk tank top. Simple wide strap tank has a scoop neck, and an allover leopard print in tan, amber and black. Excellent condition. Fits like a...Category
1980s French Tank Tops
- Chanel Black Long Sleeve Top with Cut Out and Coin Detail, 1990sBy ChanelLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990s Chanel black stretch cotton long sleeve top. Cut out at bust to reveal a little cleavage with a gold glitter hanging coin. Hem is slightly curved at front and is longer in the ...Category
1990s French Blouses and Tops
- 2000's Prada Black Jacket with Rhinestone FlowersBy PradaLocated in Toronto, OntarioBlack satin and wool Prada zip front jacket from the mid 2000's. The jacket features a black wool body and black silk 3/4 length sleeves with a folded cuff. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shirts
- 1990s Chanel Navy Blue Silk Blouson TopBy ChanelLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990s Chanel navy blue silk blouson top. Crew neckline with flat pleated front. Oversized waistband and single flat pleat up centre back, covering the tiny...Category
1990s French Blouses and Tops
- Christian Dior Navy Blue Iconic Logo Tank Top Tank Top T-ShirtBy Christian DiorLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILDescription: Christian Dior navy blue logo tank top T-Shirt.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Tank Tops
- Christian Dior Navy Blue Iconic Logo Tank Top Tank Top T-ShirtBy Christian DiorLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILChristian Dior navy blue logo tank top T-Shirt.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French T-Shirts
- Extremely Rare Chanel CC Logo Cropped T-shirt Black 1996By Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, ChanelLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILIconic Chanel logo cropped t-shirt featuring CC logos in black. From 1996 Spring collection, designed by Karl Lagerfeld. This is a well-known piece among Chanel collectors.Category
1990s French T-Shirts
- GUCCI RTW FW 2009 silk lurex ShirtBy GucciLocated in Genève, CHFabulous silk metallic shirt from Gucci Fall 2009 RTW Collection designed by Frida Giannini -Metallic fabric double effect in grey and purple -Closed ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Chemises
- CHRISTIAN DIOR Silk camisole top, c. 2000sBy Christian DiorLocated in Genève, CHChristian Dior cami top, John Galliano area - Closed by twelve fabric buttons - Black lace embellished neckline - Made in Italy - Circa 1999-2009 ...Category
Early 2000s French Camisoles
- Vintage Alexander McQueen Beaded Embellished Lace Up Corset Top / Bustier TopBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Malibu, CASz 6 (please refer to measurements for better sizing) Chest- 15" Length- 11" Shoulders- 10" Sleeve Length- 1.5" Hem- 14.5" Closure in front by lacing up and closure in back by hook...Category
Early 2000s Bustiers